The power of Primary Lotus was astonishing. Orochimaru knew in his heart that if he faced such an enemy, aside from using the Orochimaru-Style Body Replacement Technique, there would be no other way to escape.
Yet this technique also came with tremendous cost—especially muscle damage not easily recoverable in a short time.
"Give it up, Lee. If you keep going like this, you'll die."
Sakura's words echoed exactly what Orochimaru wanted to say. Current Lee was caught in the aftermath of Lotus and completely unable to dodge such an attack.
Gaara was no weakling either; his Sand Control ability came from One-Tail, with shocking destructive power.
If he couldn't dodge, it likely meant death.
Life is fragile—it isn't worth dying over just for winning or losing a fight.
That's what Orochimaru thought. However, the next second, the manga's Lee suddenly seemed full of energy again.
Recovered?
Flipping to the next page, the narrator "Guy" explained.
This was the Eight Gates!
The concept of the Eight Gates within the human body had existed since ancient times. Orochimaru had studied it before but eventually gave it up due to its difficulty and his many other tasks at hand.
Because of that, however, he did have some understanding of the Eight Gates.
The first two gates, Gate of Opening and Gate of Resting, resided in the brain. From top to bottom were the Gates of Life, Injury, and Limit, followed by two more gates, all leading finally to the Death Gate near the heart.
What effects would occur upon opening all eight gates? That remained unknown.
But one could expect—death was inevitable.
Using such a jutsu for just one battle… Was it really worth it?
Lee using True Reverse Lotus was extremely powerful. According to the manga, his speed reached unimaginable limits, and with the first four gates open, his strength became equally incredible.
Even the Armour of Sand could no longer block such attacks.
Orochimaru was captivated by the manga; his page-turning slowed down, and he carefully flipped each page, afraid of missing any detail.
Fifth Gate—Gate of Limit!
Another gate opened. What kind of power would emerge?
Amazed and curious, he continued reading, only to suddenly find the following pages blank.
That's it?
At the critical moment, the update stopped.
Orochimaru was usually calm, but now he couldn't help feeling slightly annoyed. He took a deep breath and asked, "How does Lee fare later?"
"That's confidential."
Akaba smiled faintly. Spoilers were definitely not allowed.
Speechless, Orochimaru put the book down.
Though regrettable that he hadn't seen how the fight would end, he already guessed the outcome between Lee and Gaara.
Most likely a tragedy.
Not due to their actual strength, but deduced through plot analysis.
Gaara and Sunagakure represented one major narrative arc.
"Orochimaru," Kabuto, and the Village Hidden in Sound formed another.
Both storylines converged on Konoha through the Chunin Exams, so clearly, the situation wouldn't be as simple as it appeared.
As a Jinchuriki, if Gaara fell here, how would the story proceed afterward?
Orochimaru sighed inwardly for Lee.
Even though it was just a manga, when the character risked everything to unlock the "lock" within, he felt as though this character had truly come to life.
"The Eight Gates… To master such a technique requires an incredibly strong physical body and the courage to sacrifice everything without hesitation."
Orochimaru sighed wistfully.
"Do you want to live forever as a coward, or die as a hero in an instant?"
"This is the Eight Gates."
The first seven gates of the Eight Gates could be endured through constant training and practice, with only opening all eight gates posing a high chance of death. But that didn't stop Akaba from using this phrase here.
"If such a technique truly existed in the world, I guess I'd definitely be the type who could never master it."
Orochimaru said with self-deprecating humor.
Just like he wasn't suited for close combat weapons, he couldn't become proficient in taijutsu techniques like the Eight Gates either.
It had nothing to do with talent—it was simply a matter of distrust.
Compared to melee weapons and physical techniques, he placed more faith in his ninjutsu.
He paused, then added, "But the Eight Gates are worth researching. If successful, we might cultivate ninja capable of rivaling jinchuriki—at least temporarily."
What purpose did a jinchuriki serve?
Deterrence!
The power of fully unlocked Eight Gates could change the entire battle situation at critical moments—they were equivalent to nuclear weapons.
"Researching the Eight Gates isn't difficult, but actually mastering them is extremely hard."
Akaba yawned lazily.
He could unlock the Eight Gates right now for 3,000 points—but what's the point?
Unlike ninjutsu, which one truly mastered once redeemed and learned, taijutsu required continued physical training. Without proper conditioning, knowing the moves alone meant nothing but empty showmanship.
Moreover, as Orochimaru had said, people like them probably could never truly master the Eight Gates their entire lives.
People like Might Duy, Guy, and Lee were extremely rare.
"Let's study it first and see how effective it is—deal with the results later."
Orochimaru took out his little notebook and wrote down the Eight Gates.
His notebook was already filled with various research topics, many marked with special symbols.
For example, "Fission Technique" was marked with a red symbol indicating failure, while the mark next to the Eight Gates likely meant "high probability of success."
However, mentioning the Eight Gates reminded Akaba of someone he'd nearly forgotten.
Guy's father—Might Duy.
Might Duy shouldn't be much older than them. Once Orochimaru developed a scientific training method for the Eight Gates, he should look for Might Duy's whereabouts.
Hmm, maybe he could establish a dedicated taijutsu unit later too.
Train each member relentlessly, hoping to cultivate several individuals with potential for mastering the Eight Gates.
At the same time, Akaba secretly wished: May all my students achieve the Eight Gates.
"Today's One Piece chapter was boring."
Orochimaru flipped through the pages quickly. Compared to the intense battles in other stories, the current arc of One Piece felt dull and dragged on.
By now, Luffy still didn't have a real pirate ship, let alone reached the Grand Line.
Be patient. Stories unfold gradually, just like a lottery—many losses are just stepping stones to success.
Akaba casually offered this piece of advice.
Orochimaru glanced around cautiously before retorting, confirming Lady Tsunade wasn't around, "That twisted logic of yours doesn't work on Tsunade."
"I admit defeat."
Akaba bowed slightly.
Tsunade's 'luck' practically equated to being cursed by fortune itself.
After finishing his meal and reading the manga, Orochimaru packed up. Akaba tidied things away too, including Tsunade's belongings, preparing to take everything with him.
Akaba was about to leave when Orochimaru suddenly called him back, "Mr. Akaba, are you heading to the Land of Whirlpools?"
"I don't think so."
Akaba had considered it. If he could obtain some blood from the Uzumaki clan, it might lower the requirements for purchasing Sensor and regeneration abilities.
But that place had practically become a war zone with nearly every outsider village targeting Uzumaki Village. Even Konoha couldn't stop it.
Unless absolutely necessary, he wanted nothing to do with that mess.
"Recently, Anbu has been much quieter than before," Orochimaru murmured thoughtfully before rising and heading toward his lab.
Seemed random, but they both got what the other meant.
With fewer Anbu agents around, it naturally meant Danzo had already started making moves in the Land of Whirlpools. However, other ninja villages had long planted countless spies there, making every action hard to hide.
The moment those hidden shinobi infiltrated the Land of Whirlpools, the war had already started.
Akaba stepped out of the lab and left effortlessly.
Back in Konoha, everything remained as peaceful as usual; the conflict within Anbu didn't affect most people.
For someone like Akaba, it was business as usual—eating, drinking, sleeping like always.
The only difference was, once things kicked off, he'd probably have more work because at that point, the Preparatory Division's missions would begin too.
In the evening, Izumi Yamano arrived at Konoha once again with his caravan.
Besides delivering updated manga issues collected from other factories today, including the latest chapter of One Piece, his other purpose was to deliver a letter from the Caravan Chief.
"The caravan asked me to bring this letter. Just hand it directly to the Hokage, and he'll understand everything," Izumi Yamano explained.
"So mysterious?"
Akaba scratched his head.
Well then, there was no choice but to deliver it immediately to The Third.
Important matters like this absolutely couldn't be delayed one bit—he might be lazy by nature, but he still knew how to prioritize.
He rushed over to the Hokage's office in a hurry, finding the door slightly ajar, and pushed straight in without hesitation.
However—
As soon as he entered, he saw The Third's hands move in a blur.
It should've been Transformation Jutsu.
Except this time, its target wasn't a person—it was an object.
Akaba casually glanced at the table where something blended seamlessly into the surroundings.
He couldn't quite identify what it was, though it felt like a book.
Nonetheless, he immediately understood.
Coughing lightly, The Third asked, "What is it?"
"Sir, the caravan sent a reply."
Keeping his eyes low and avoiding looking at the table, Akaba handed over the letter respectfully.
"Let me see."
The Third took it, carefully opening the envelope and pulling out a single sheet.
There were no words written on it—only a seal stamp reading "Daimyo's Mansion."
No message, yet the seal itself was the message.
It symbolized official endorsement by the Daimyo.
"In that case, I'll take my leave."
Akaba formed a hand seal, preparing to vanish instantly.
Interrupting The Third while he was reading—if The Third got mad and dumped a bunch of missions on him, that'd suck.
"Hold on."
The Third stopped him, thinking for a moment before saying, "Go to the Hyūga clan and summon the clan leader."
"What?"
Akaba pointed at himself, hardly believing his ears.
This was the kind of job he was supposed to do?
What about the Hokage's Anbu guards?!
"His guards are all on missions. You'll have to go in their place."
The Third impatiently waved his hand and issued the order directly.
"Fine then."
When an order came down like a mountain, there was no way around it. Though reluctant, Akaba had no choice but to comply. He hesitated for a moment before adding, "Still, you should give me something as proof. Otherwise, the Hyūga clan might not let me inside."
During Hyuga Kazuhiko's banquet previously, he had slightly offended the Hyūga clan.
Later, the Sakuma clan rejected the Hyūga clan's gesture of goodwill, which added further tension. The Clan Leader himself wouldn't care about such matters, but as the saying goes, 'The King of Hell is easy to deal with; the minor demons are the trouble.'
"Take this."
The Third removed a pendant from his waist.
It was one of his personal belongings, engraved with the name "Hiruzen Sarutobi," sufficient to prevent unnecessary troubles.
Akaba accepted it before finally heading out to make this trip to the Hyūga clan.
He really wanted to say something about it.
Just to read some manga, was it really necessary to send all subordinates away?
Everyone already knows your habits—even someone like me who doesn't drop by often gets it. Let alone the guards who're always by your side.
But he couldn't just come out and say that—otherwise, The Third would definitely pile on the tasks.
But he could still understand—when it comes to people, even if they know they're already seen through, they still try their best to cover things up somehow.
That's exactly what 'stealing a bell while covering one's ears' means (pretending ignorance in hopes others won't notice).
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